"What a useless person. Stop showing that expression. You might as well write ’suspicious’ on your face. Do you think everyone else is a fool who can’t see it?" The young man frowned, looking at the boss with an indescribable expression.
"It’s my fault. I’ll change right away, please don’t get angry." The boss spoke while stretching out both hands, rubbing his face repeatedly, trying to relax his facial muscles.
When the boss finally put his hands down, his expression indeed beca much more naturally cheerful.
Staying at the young man’s house was a boring day. After eating, the three n sat on the sofa, staring at each other, not knowing what to do.
"Didn’t you two play all night yesterday? Aren’t you tired today?" Xu Ke asked curiously.
"I didn’t feel it until you ntioned it, but now that you say it, I am a bit tired." The boss said slowly, adjusting his head.
"Then why don’t you two rest at ho a bit? I’m going out for a walk," Xu Ke said with a smile.
Without giving the other two a chance to speak, Xu Ke left with his wallet. The young man watched Xu Ke’s departing figure, a aningful smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, which made the boss shiver slightly.
Having been in this small town for a few days, Xu Ke had already explored most of it. One could even say that Xu Ke now understood the layout of the town almost as well as the locals, even better than so.
Perhaps because of the remoteness of the town, its food greatly appealed to Xu Ke, and he even enjoyed so of the local customs.
For example, you can bring raw ingredients to a shop, pay a processing fee, and the owner will prepare the dish using your ingredients. The taste is quite good, which is why Xu Ke has recently started enjoying haggling in the market with the local vendors.
Today is just like any other day, Xu Ke stood in front of a fish stall, bargaining with the fish-selling lady.
"Alright, alright, I’ve never seen a young man better at bargaining than you. This fish will cost you 37 yuan; that’s my final offer, I can’t go any lower," said the lady, finally conceding after bargaining with Xu Ke for a long ti, as she handed the fish towards Xu Ke.
The lady’s expression was a bit fierce, indicating that she might hit Xu Ke if he dared to bargain any further.
Fortunately, Xu Ke knew when to stop. Seeing that the lady’s face was already darkening, Xu Ke cheerfully nodded and stopped bargaining.
"Thank you, sister," Xu Ke said with a smile to the lady, reaching into his wallet to pay her, and the transaction seed about to conclude as the lady’s face lightened up.
Just as Xu Ke was about to hand his money to the lady, a bony hand reached over diagonally and took the wrapped fish from the lady’s hand.
"I want this fish," said the old woman.
"I’m sorry, this fish was the one I chose first, and we’ve already agreed on the price. If you want to buy so fish, you should look at the others here; they are also very fresh," Xu Ke said politely.
"The young man is right, our fish just ca from the sea today. See how lively they are?! They’re obviously very fresh. And our fish are bigger, with more at and lower prices. You won’t find a better stall in this market," the lady said, giving Xu Ke an approving look before enthusiastically recomnding her fish.
The elderly woman looked extrely old, with a missing front tooth and large age spots on her face. Her hair was silver-white, and she was so thin that she looked like a bamboo stick, making people worry she might fall and not get back up.
"No, I don’t like any of the other fish, just this one. I won’t buy any if it’s not this one," the old woman glanced at Xu Ke with a slightly challenging look.
Seeing the elderly woman was so persistent, and it was just a fish, Xu Ke decided not to insist further.
"Alright then, I’ll let you have this fish, and I’ll choose another one," Xu Ke said politely, then looked at other fish. He quickly selected another fish for himself. As he stood up, he noticed the old woman hadn’t left but stood quietly by his side, though Xu Ke didn’t pay her much mind.
"Can you check how much this fish costs?" Xu Ke showed the fish he picked to the lady, asking her to weigh it and give him a price.
"This fish is heavier than the previous one, so it costs more. I know you’re a good bargainer, but I’m giving you a firm price of 55 yuan. If you accept it, you can take the fish; if not, I won’t sell it to you," the lady said bluntly after weighing the fish.
"You’re straightforward, and that’s the kind of person I like to deal with. So, I’ll take it at that price," Xu Ke replied, intending to pay without bargaining further. Just then, the elderly woman standing next to Xu Ke interrupted, "I want this fish of his, too."
Xu Ke paused montarily while reaching for his money. "Are you buying two fish at once?" Even at this point, Xu Ke’s smile remained clean and polite.
"What? Is that not allowed?" The elderly woman squinted her droopy eyes open, speaking in a tone that betrayed no emotion.
"Of course, there’s nothing wrong with that. As long as you like it," Xu Ke kept his smile, though it now bore a hint of coldness.
"Please wrap this fish for this elderly lady while I choose another," Xu Ke said, then went back to selecting fish once more.
This ti, while his deanor didn’t change much, Xu Ke picked the fish more quickly, not too concerned with quality compared to the previous two. "Please settle the bill for this fish too," Xu Ke said as he made his choice.
It went as Xu Ke expected, as the old woman intervened again to take the fish.
"Elderly lady, how many people are there in your family? Are two large fish not enough for you? Do you really need another one? I won’t stop you from buying, but could you please refrain from snatching the fish every ti I finish choosing one?" Xu Ke continuously reminded himself that the other party was elderly and, unless necessary, he didn’t want to argue with her to avoid any responsibility if sothing were to happen.
However, sotis it’s hard to avoid problems even if you’re not looking for them.
After all, you may not seek trouble, but trouble cos to find you.
User Comments
0 comments from readers